Their promise
by JP26
Summary: AschxOC. Asch remembers a girl three years younger than him, whom he made promise of marrying someday but eventually forgotten, thanks to Jade, who is somewhat having a mild "sister complex". One shot.


**Note: I do not own Tales of the Abyss and its characters**

~oo~

_"It's a promise then?" a little girl with light brown hair and cool violet eyes said, holding her little finger up. A young boy with red hair entwined his own little finger with hers._

_"Of course it's a promise." he said. "No matter what my father says, I'll keep it. I will fight for us both."_

_The two of them smiled at each other. After a few minutes, the girl looked up at the sky and said, "I'd better get going now. My brother will be looking for me soon. If he noticed that I'm not home, he'll be hunting your head."_

_"Yeah. And, to be honest, I'm quite afraid of your brother." the boy admitted, blushing lightly. "He's widely known as a necromancer isn't he?"_

_"That title seems way off." the girl said. "He is but still studying those arts."_

_"Still, he's scary."_

~oo~

Asch woke up. It was already morning, though he can't determine the time when they're at the Outer Land, Qlipoth. He sat up, trying to recollect his dreams. It had been the same dream ever since his identity had been revealed as the real Fabre heir, and destroying utterly the mindset of his replica. He shook his head, still seeing that girl's face in his mind's eye. Asch isn't certain if she's really is someone from his past he had forgotten, or if it's just his mind making things up. As far as he know, he never made any promises to any girl at the age of ten, especially to Natalia, who keeps bugging him to keep his promise, a promise he never made at the first place.

"Asch?" he heard a familiar voice. It was Natalia, in front of his door. Lorelei help him, he just woke up and she's there already to bum the hell out of him. He pretended to be still asleep, waiting for Natalia to leave. It was after a few minutes before he heard her footsteps move away from his door that he relaxed in his bed.

"Why is it she keeps on bothering me...?" he thought to himself angrily, putting a hand over his face. "Why can't she just leave me alone?"

He pictured once more that girl's face, trying to remember whom she looks like and what's her name. He racked his brain, trying to remember though his brain came up dry of memories. He continued to rack his brains for ten agonizing minutes, until he gave up. Maybe it's just a dream his brain made up.

~oo~

_"Sorry if I made you wait." the girl said. "I was studying with my brother, and I didn't notice the time."_

_"I've noticed." the boy said._

_"Don't be mad." she said. "I've only did that so that my brother won't be suspicious of where I go during my free time."_

_"And I've got the feeling that he's kind of following you right now."_

_"Why would he?"_

_"Because you're his only little sister."_

_"He knew well enough that I can look after myself. I told him many times that he doesn't have to look after me all the time."_

_"And how many times will I tell you that you cannot meet up with him? You know that he's the Duke's son." a voice said behind them. The two of them turned to look. It was her brother._

_"Big brother!"_

_"Busted..." the red head muttered._

~oo~

Asch was trying to forget his recurring dreams as he sat with the group, and at the same time trying to keep Natalia far away from him. The Fon Master is there, together with his Guardian; Guy, his childhood friend; Tear, Van's younger sister; and the nosy and annoying Natalia, princess of Kimlasca. Asch noticed that they're one head shorter.

"Where's Jade?" he asked.

"Jade?" Guy said. "He's off somewhere, studying something. And talking about Jade, he seems to be a little cold towards you. Did you do something to make him mad at you?"

"I haven't done anything yet to make him angry, unless if you will count the times when I slaughtered his vanguard and the rest..."

"Maybe that's the reason why he's cold towards you."

"Man, that's too light of a reason."

"Well, you _did _slaughtered his men and had sealed his fonic slots."

"It wasn't _me _who had sealed his fonic slots. It's Largo's fault."

"Wasn't Largo working for you?"

"He's working for that damn Van."

"Oh? I didn't know you waited for me to eat breakfast." they heard Jade saying from the door. "I'm touched."

"It's a lot better if we will eat together, right?" the Fon Master, Ion, said. Jade took his seat across Asch. When Asch saw him up close, he was like hitted by a metal on his face because of Jade's resemblance to that girl in his dreams lately. He made a mental note that he'll ask Jade later if he had any little sister.

~oo~

_"Big brother!" the girl said. "I hope you'll understand. You know that he's being cooped up inside the palace, and I'm his only friend apart from Guy."_

_"So you're doing this out of pity?" her brother said._

_"No." she replied. "I'm doing this because I care for him, big brother. And also..."_

_"Also what?"_

_"...we had made a promise to each other..."_

~oo~

Asch shook his head. Guy noticed this and wondered what's wrong.

"Is something the matter?" he asked.

"No..nothing...it's just that...there's this weird dream I keep on having lately..."

"Dream?"

"Yeah....Guy? Do you remember any girl from the past that has light brown hair and violet eyes? Did I have any friends like that?"

"...as far as I can remember, you don't come out of the palace too much because of your father's strict orders of not letting you out. Unless if you escape, which you always do."

"...what you say is true...but...maybe I'm just tired and..."

"Asch?" they heard Jade calling from the hallway. They turned to look.

"Can I speak with you for a moment..?" he asked. "I'll be waiting at the bridge."

"OK."

~oo~

_She's more than late than usual. He's starting to think that her brother had totally locked her up in their house, probably inside her room. He waited for another five minutes before he resolved to sneak into their place. When he reached the place, however, he noticed that the place was in an uproar. It seems like there was an accident in the necromancer's laboratory. He sneaked into the place, and went directly to the lab. There, he saw his friend, injured all over, and being carried by her brother. It seems like their experiment backfired. He followed them to her room where her brother tried to heal her injuries by his healing arte but did not made any difference._

_"Damn it!" he heard her brother cursed. "If only I was stronger..."_

_"Young master," a maid said. "The doctor's here. He'll be taking over."_

_The brother left the room, blaming himself of not being to save his little sister from such backfire. Maybe he'd been too hard on her that she wasn't concentrating and everything went south. Did that boy really means a lot to her? When he reached the corner, he saw the Duke's son._

_"Is...is Seiren ok...?" the Duke's son asked, the worried tone pronounced. The brother only looked at him, as if in daze. Just because of this boy, a pampered prince, his sister's in the brink of death. If only they hadn't met...if only he didn't noticed his sister...then maybe...he still have her love..._

_The brother reached out towards the red head's face..._

~oo~

"What is it that you want to talk about, Jade?" Asch said. Jade looked at him for a few minutes before he responded, "Have you been dreaming of a girl, seven-years of age...?"

Asch blinked, terror jolting his senses. "Why do you ask?"

"I just want to know."

Asch averted his eyes from Jade's. "Yeah, well...but I can't remember her name...or if she's real or just a fragment of my dream..."

Jade gave a melancholic sigh. "So even if after how many years of forgetting, in the end you regained them, even if by parts..."

"What do you mean?"

"There's something I haven't been very honest with you." Jade said apologetically. "You see...the girl you said you've been dreaming...it's my younger sister...she had an accident in the past...and maybe because of my rage against you, I manipulated your memories of her, so that I can have her love for myself..."

"W-what are you saying, Jade?" Asch said incredulously. "You're saying you have a little sister?"

"Yes." Jade said firmly. "You will regain all of your memories of her when you remember her name, in which I find you were having trouble with..." He sighed again. Asch only blinked stupidly.

"My sister likes you very much." Jade continued. "She keeps on asking me about you whenever I come back home from work. She keeps on asking how you look like right now...and because that I love her too much, I can't put any more suffering into her. I told her about you...or rather, your replica. She was saddened when she heard that you had amnesia...but she wishes you well from the bottom of her heart, even if you don't remember her."

"But why did you...?"

"It's my selfish side." Jade said. "She's the only family I have, and I don't want to lose her to anyone not worthy. But as I see you now, I think you're worthy enough for her. Even if you cannot keep your promise to her for you're going to marry Princess Natalia..."

"Hold it, hold it!" Asch said. "Whoever said that I'm going to marry HER?"

"Well, you can't avoid it. Your marriage had been set already. Anyways, as I was saying, I want you to remember her even if just a friend who was very concern of you that everyday of her life...she didn't pray to Lorelei to keep you safe."

Asch wondered why Jade is acting like he has a sister complex. Was he really the reason why his sister had that accident?

"Asch, are you listening? I believe I just told you that her name's Seiren. Seiren Curtiss."

Asch blinked, memories flashing by his eyes. Ah...yes, he remembers now. That cute little girl he met at the plaza during the spring festival some years ago. They became instant friends...and he remembered the accident...and remembered what the doctor had said....

"Seiren...was blinded...?" Asch said, looking at Jade who smiled sadly.

"It was my fault...if it wasn't for my selfishness..."

"Why are you telling me this now, Jade?" Asch interjected. He had enough of Jade being sorry to himself.

"Well...the truth is....after one more cycle of the season, she'll slowly die..."

It hit Asch hard. He will lose someone dear to him again...?

"I will not allow it...she still have to keep her promise to me..." Asch said. "Where does she stay right now?"


End file.
